Computer security software applications that are designed for family protection are typically driven by policies that can control the behavior of such software. Policies can be used for determining the nature and extent of protection to be offered, in addition to determining actions to be taken in case of violations, etc. There are several limitations with this approach. For example, in a home environment, every computer user has specific needs from the security software which can be based on: usage patterns, level of expertise/awareness of the user, need for supervision, etc. Different users find having customized or personalized policies beneficial. Currently, customized policies are manually created based on the best judgment of the homeowner. However, creating an appropriate security policy configuration may require an understanding of cyber-security threats, which may be very challenging for a typical homeowner acting as home network administrator.
In addition to the above mentioned issues, the typical home network will become more complex in the future. As more and more devices are connected to a home network, administration of the number of devices and number of devices needing security updates will become more complex. Home network administrators will therefore require more easily understandable and useable network administration tools than a professional network administrator.